Abstract: Over the past decade the notion of “patient experience” has come to be seen as one of the three pillars of high quality healthcare, alongside clinical effectiveness and patient safety. Over the same period, the rise of digital communication and social media has transformed the way that both patients and professionals communicate (although not with one another). Coincidentally, over the same period we have developed Patient Opinion, a national non-profit service enabling people to share their experiences of health and care services online. Currently, over 140,000 experiences of care are available via Patient Opinion. They have been read over 75 million times and we receive 100,000 visitors per week. Most English NHS Trusts and all Scottish health boards use the service at some level, with 7,000 staff and students receiving alerts to relevant feedback.
This seminar will introduce the still-evolving Patient Opinion service, consider impacts for individuals, services and wider culture, and suggest a range of applications in both research and education.
Biography: Dr James Munro is chief executive of Patient Opinion, the UK’s leading independent online feedback service for health and social care. His background is in clinical medicine, public health, and academic research.